HeartBeat
by LethalxRose
Summary: Jadeite's sister Ami is diagnosed with a Tumor and is given a short amount of time to live Rei is a girl who lives in the hospital with heart problems Jade begins slowly falling for the girl but what happens when shes to die unless Ami sacrifices her life
1. Prolouge

**AN: **I understand that starting a new story is the last thing I need. Seeing that my history with finishing stories isn't too good. But I really like this idea and I'm just going through with it. It's a little different than what I usually write but it still has the same essence.

**Dedicated: **There's no dedication to this story yet. Just with high hopes of people reading this story and actually suppressing a strong emotion.

**SONG: New American Classic. By Taking Back Sunday. **

--

**Heartbeat. **

Hospitals. I never despised them until this moment. The blasting white walls. The smell of death haunting you. Fake sympathy and pity being thrown at you like scraps to a mutt.

The one I was located in was no different. A small section, furnished no differently than any other. The girl in the bed was young, about the age of sixteen. Her skin was a deathly pale, almost translucent. She was showered in stern faces obviously bearing the knowledge of bad news.

There were many people occupying the room, yet my eyes were only for one. She lifted her head aware of my gaze and are identical blue eyes locked for a moment. Her eyes are the key to reading her emotions. Fear was eating out her soul causing her hand to seek a mate for reliance. Mine was there in a second. Every fiber in my being tensed, it was my job to protect her. My arms ached to pull her against me and shield her from the rest of the world, from all the somber faces. From the words spoken next.

"Brain Tumor. If all the test go well and she responds to the medication, we can give her a few months."

The world around the family shattered with the realization of what was being spoken to them. In a few months, there would be a Mother and Father without a daughter. A brother left without a sister. The thought was almost unthinkable. An older brother's job is to protect the younger from any harm. This was one thing I couldn't rescue Ami from.

**What do you guys think? I was going to make this into a book in progress … but I don't think that ever going to work out. Continue This?**


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One of HeartBeat. Not as many people are reading Sailor Moon Fan fictions as before. Or at least not mine. I realized today how different my writing is from when I started. Wow. Of course some of my words were filled with such an innocent manner… I don't think I can ever really return that into my writing. Even my happy stories seem to have that tint of sadness.

Song: It ends tonight by All American Rejects

--

The sun cast murky rays down upon the dimly lit wooden floors of the bedroom. A desk rested directly underneath the window. Failed tests, pens, empty cigarette boxes, and an opened package of condoms littered it's space. Various posters covered the gray painted walls. Faces of beautiful blonde and brunette women clad in barely any clothing stare with lusty faces all pointing towards the direction of the bed. The bed itself was positioned in the middle of the room, it's red satin sheets concealing the slumbering form away from the rest of the world.

A loud blood curling scream awoke me of my slumber. With dazed eyes, I glared at the alarm clock besides me. **'12:34 P.M.' **the numbers flashed before me in a vibrant red tone.

"You filthy pig!" the source of the sound was produced from downstairs. The kitchen to be exact. The obnoxious occupant the voice was commanded by? None other then my darling blood relation, Ami. Everything about the young girl was petite. Her height reached its maximum at five foot three. Cropped and straight at just above shoulder length, rests an elegant style for her dark black colored hair. Though, it has been known to cast a tint of blue when the natural sunlight is directed upon it. She would be up by now, seeing as she was the morning bird of the family. I can almost imagine it now, her small form would be standing directly below me in the kitchen, creating a perfect breakfast meal, of course. Just like every Saturday.

_I hope she's making waffles… _

"Prude Bookworm!" The male voice startled me. Although it was familiar, it didn't belong in this household on Saturday at breakfast time…. Especially near my younger sister. It was Zoisite. Although the kid proudly wore the title of my best friend, he was intelligent. A little too intelligent for my liking. His deep jade eye's scanning my innocent sibling's form.

My feet moved on their own accord as I leapt out of bed and down towards the scene of the crime. Call it 'over protective' but I like to consider it a brotherly instinct.

Pushing through the wooden barrier that lead into the room, I was now fully awake and ready to beat some hormonal teenager to a pulp. The walls were painted a bright yellow while annoying multicolored flowers faltered along the trim. A white painted island possessed the center of the room where the two stood. The slight whir of the ceiling fan cast small waves of wind down upon the room.

I ran a loose hand through my messy blond locks as my eyes adjusted to the lighting. Ami's position stood opposite to Zoisite, her body arched in a predatory mode ready to pounce at her prey. The weapon of choice? A lethal looking wooden spoon.

Zoisite didn't seem to be faltered by the girls stance, or chose not to show it externally. His green eyes shining playfully with a humorous tint, his mouth pulled upwards in a cashmere catlike grin. His hands, extended forward and marked with white powder, waved in a mock defeat.

"Don't look at me like that!" her shrill voice alerted the entire house.

It took me a second to register why the girl was screaming. Following Zoisite's eye path I noted a white substance marking the indigo of her inner jeans…. The exact white powder on his hands.

Instantly, my identical sapphire eye's matched Ami's. My hands clenching and unclenching themselves at the side. Anger pulsed through my veins begging me to release itself.

"Please." my voice was strained and harsh, "Tell me this isn't what it looks like…."

Two heads turned to gaze in my direction, as if acknowledging I occupied the kitchen for the first time.

Zoisite's eyes instantly grew wide, "It was an accident! I swear!"

"Was not! You man whore!"

"Shut up. Nerd!"

"I'm going to kill you!" and within a second, in a blur of blue her form raced towards him.

Instinctively, I reached forward, hooking her form in my grasp. The muscles in my arm strained as her body worked against the force holding her back. With another sharp tug, her weight was resting against my form. Continuing to struggle her hands shoved against mine, trying to inspire them to release her.

The two of us were polar opposites, both internally and externally. My hair was wavy and a golden blonde. Hers was dark and straight. My body was tall and tightly toned. She could barely lift fifty pounds with her small lithe form. I'm the typical bad boy parents warn their 'innocent' daughters about. She's the type of girls all the parents and teachers fawn over.

The only thing we both possessed were an identical pair of blue eyes, and a unique bond even most other siblings could never understand. Which is why when I whispered;

"Stop it."

With a desperate sigh, she relaxed in my arms. Though her eyes still cold, and expression pouty.

"You know it was an accident. Don't launch yourself at my friends. Act more mature would you?" It was the opposite thing I should be saying. Ami, even though younger, was more mature than I could ever be.

Except around my friend Zoisite. Something about the guy's personality always got under her skin. The two would constantly be arguing about something or another.

And I didn't need it on a Saturday morning…. Or afternoon.

Her blue orbs looked up at the floor and glared at Zoisite, aware of his victorious smile.

"You take a friend's side over your own sister?!" Her voice was slightly hurt, but filled more with anger.

I looked away at her and glared at my friend, "You touch her one more time. Intentional or not. I swear to god, I'll beat the living shit-"

Zoisite cut me off with his jovial laughter, "Relax. Jade, nerds aren't my type. I only came here cause we planned to go paintballing today…. Remember? And Ami let me in through the backdoor, so I decided to help her with the food. That's. It."

I released my hold over the girl and suddenly came to discover I was hungry…. More like starving. The smell of food taunting my air didn't help either.

Watching as Ami worked her way away from me and over to the counter she picked up a large plate overflowing with my favorite food.

"I love you!" the words slipped through my mouth before I knew what I was saying. It didn't matter… I needed that food.

_Eggs. Toast. Bacon!…. Bacon, Bacon, Bacon!_

The meat was positioned on the right side of the plate, nearest to her fingers that held the tray. The strips were loaded with grease and fried to a crispy brown. Just the way I like it.

The distinct sound of shattering glass against the marble floor awoke me of my breakfast craving stage. The breakfast itself was now repulsively splattered among the fragments of the broken plate.

The food now didn't fit my needs and my gaze transported itself to Ami's face. A blank look crossed her features, her eye's empty.

"Ami." I called out her name to receive some attention. She wasn't one to void out.. Let alone break anything in the first place.

She didn't respond.

"Ami!"

Still. No change in expression or movement.

"AMI!" The substance underneath my feet created sharp nosies as I passed over to my unresponsive sister. Grabbing onto her shoulders I shook her form, "Ami??"

Instantly, her eye's snapped back into reality focusing onto my face. Her expression completely starttled.

"Wh…why…why are you holding me?" her eye's lowered towards the floor and glared at the mess underneath ourselves.

"Why did you knock over the plate!? Jadeite! You have to be more responsible!!" she wiggled free of my grasp and turned around to grab the broom.

_What the hell was going on?_

I caught Zoisite's expression, identical to mine. Had Ami finally cracked underneath all the studying?

"Uh. Ami…. You dropped the plate… then zoned out…" his voice was filled with the confusion mimicked on his face.

"Oh." her face looked away from the floor and back and forth between the two of us, "Then… I guess I'm sorry. Jade, I'll make you something else."

"Ami. Are you alright?"

Her fingers brushed away a stray hair behind her ear, "Perfect. How come you guys are acting all weird?"

"It's you that's acting weird. Seriously, your weird but this is a new level… even for you." he filled in.

Ami released the broom from her grasp, allowing it to fall to the ground. Hands folded across her chest her voice changed completely from before.

The apologetic tone from before was erased and now replaced with a venomous one, "Whatever. Since I'm acting so weird you can clean up your own freakin' mess."

And with that she stormed out of the room in a huff.


	3. Chapter Two

**AN: **Another Chapter is up finally! I'm sorry I'm kinda rushing the begining... I was going to make her trip to the hospital much more delayed like in the... 4th Chapter? But I thought that was too long. So I spead it up a bit! ... I wanted to get to the important parts soon.. they're always much more fun to write. Rei is going to be introduced soon within the next chapter or so!

**riddiculusvampire**- Thanks for the review! Congratz on winning this round!

**Xx Lady Xiao xX**- Oh I'm glad you like it! I'm going to introduce Rei soon. Yeah, Most of my stories are depressing : I like to read what I write. So I think you'll like this.

**Sonar de Mercury**- Yes, this is a cannon shipping. Rei - Jade. Ami - Zoisite. I don't know if I am going to have the rest of the General/Senshi in it yet :

**FilmMaker**- Haha. Trust me it is. I was reading old stories that I wrote before I became more developed... and I just love the plots... they're something I can't really come up with anymore. But with my increased abilty at writing better stories I may rewrite them. Of course they're mostly Ami/Zoi.

**Nyght Musique**- Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you liked it!

**Beating Heart:  
****Chapter Two **

One.. Two.. And on the count of Three, with much hesitation, I pushed open the door into the dragons lair. The sight I was expecting, certainly wasn't what I received. Instead of a furious creature roaring vulgar strings of vocabulary, my normal sister sat silently on her bed, nose dipped forward into a book.

"Ami?…." the words came out cautiously, for I still feared that this 'girl' was a decoy and any second now, the animal would merge from within.

The dark haired girl glanced up at me, her head tilting slightly to a left in an inquisitive manner before she opened her mouth, "Yes, Jadeite?"

I smiled she seemed to have returned to her normal character, "Let's go get something to eat. You've been in your room all day."

"Just us?" The hopeful edge to her voice made it impossible to resist.

"Just us."

Instantly, her form leaped off the bed and raced towards myself, the textbook left abandoned on the bed. She was clad in a pair of jeans and a loose fitting teal cardigan. A white pill shaped bottle fell off the bed and descended towards the wooden floor. The sound of rattling pills echoed in my ears as it hit the ground. Before the girl had time to react, the bottle was in my grasp and the lid opened.

"What the hell are these?" My tone was more harsh and accusing then it should have been. Images of what substances my younger sister could be abusing flooded my mind… I thought she was smarter then that!

Startled, she turned to glanced at the bottle in my hand. Her eye's narrowed as her lips curved into a scowl, "Look." she shook my hand a little. Orange circular shapes flooded my hand. "They're just Motrin. I've been having headaches lately. Relax."

I knew her thoughts were already insulting the overprotective side of me.

"You never know…" I mused trying to cover my obvious mistake as I slid the tablets back into their case and closed the lip. Ami whisked the bottle out of my grasp and dropped it inside her purse.

"Are we going or not?" she glared at me.

Damn, Can you say PMSing?

She didn't wait for an answer as I saw her retreating form and leave through the doorway to her room. Her steps were always careful and precise, never clumsy, which is what sparked my concern as I watched her descend down the staircase. Instead of the usual graceful strides she was racing in clumsy steps, often faltering and having to recollect herself. The sole of her shoe touched the last step, the sound I expected exploded throughout the house. Her foot slipped out from underneath her as the weight of her body fell backwards, bashing the back of her head onto the wood steps. Twin hands flew to the back of her skull as her face contorted into one of deep pain.

She didn't move a muscle as I ran towards her, skipping a few steps in the process and stopped at a skidded halt before her sprawled form. Slipping my hands around her waist carefully, I lifted her up and supported her weight onto my shoulder. Her fingers never left the back of her head. Her eye's remained sealed shut as a hiss of pain escaped her lips.

"Get… ice…" she gasped.

I took her into the kitchen, her body molded into mine, as I reached to open up the freezer.

"Hurry!" she gasped as her digits gently rubbed the sore spot.

The sound of gentle footsteps entered the room behind myself. "What was that loud crash before?… you didn't break anything did you?" the voice asked and upon spotting Ami in a pair of arms. "What happened?!" the soothing male voice was now filled with alarm.

"She fell down the stairs and hit her head, Dad." I answered setting her down on a stool as I handed her a pack of ice.

Her sapphire orbs glanced up at mine thankfully before glancing at our father in a sheepish demeanor. "But. I'm fine. Promise."

The male we called our father was tall and blonde. Clad in a business suite and tie, he probably made the trip home from work to retrieve something he forgot. His green eyes never removed themselves from Ami, as he gently took the ice pack from her hands and placed it for her on the sore spot. She winced.

"Maybe I should take off today and bring you to the doctor." Glancing at the two, you would have never guessed that Ami was his daughter. The two had nothing alike. I was a splitting younger image of my father, except for my mother's eyes. Our eyes. The single thing that linked my sister to our family genes. Everyone was blonde, except for her. All of us were tall, except for her. Any of us would have been able to handle the fall, being as hard headed and athletically built, Ami couldn't.

"No!" Her head snapped up to face him, adding more pressure to the back of her skull. "Don't." wince. "I'm fine. Dad. Go to work."

"You don't usually fall a lot, Ami." My dad was concerned, he had also heard about her random furious out lashing that occurred this morning. "Jade, it's Saturday. Do you think you can take her to get this checked out?"

"Yeah." I responded, my hands griped the back of her stool.

I watched as her form tensed, she hated being ignored. My father did this to her constantly, which is probably why she favored our mother.

"I fell! Nothing is wrong." she removed the ice pack from her head and shooed our hands away when we tried to replace it, "See? Now go."

"Don't speak to you're father that way. I'm just looking out for your well being." He scolded her, sighing he ran a hand through his hair. A habit I took on when I was thinking, "You're allowing Jadeite to take you to the Hospital. Do you understand? "

She weakly nodded and a look of defeat came over her form. With that the man stood and backed away from us, "I want you to call me and tell me how things go." he was speaking to me now.

Xander Bryar Attorney at Law was a father of two children and a beautiful wife, he also had to gain control of everything occurring in his environment. This incident was no different. That's where his and his daughter's personalities clashed. Most of the time Ami was the perfect daughter, but he could find anything to scold in her personality.

The front door slipped shut and I knew he was gone when the pur of his car engine was herd from outside.

The house was quiet for a moment. Ami biting down softly on her lower lip and myself not wanting to break the silence.

"I'm fine. You don't have to take me." She seemed to have made sure Dad was far away before she spoke. "Xander's busy. We don't need to bother him with this."

Another thing, she never said 'Dad' our father was always referred to by his first name, Xander. He hated this, and told her so often.

She didn't seem to be in pain anymore. "Alright. Tell me if it get's worse."

"Alright." And I knew she would keep her promise. I remained in the kitchen as she walked through the door into the den. The sound of the T.V. told me that her form would be resting on the couch.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. It was exactly 5 seconds of peace and serenity before I heard her scream.

Her voice spoke before I entered the den, "Jadeite. …. I changed my mind…." her eyes were locked on a puddle of crimson on the floor next to where she was laying. Another second past before her body arched forward and continued to vomit blood.

"Fuck!" I mumbled taking the girl once again into my arms and carried her out towards the car.


	4. Chapter Three

AN: I'm sorry for not updating for a while… and for those of you who are reading Wish of M. well I'm really really sorry for like never updating that one. I'm just thinking? All right… Now it's time to get into this story.

* * *

"Blood better not stain leather…"

My mind ached to even think about the condition of the red Mercedes parked in the hospital lot. It's innocence tainted by the crimson liquid that would scar its surface for eternity.

A wooden clipboard felt like a ton of weight in my lap. As my eyes glanced down at the words they suddenly turned into a blur.

"**Name: … Insurance : … Parent's Information: … **"

And the rest was complete fuzz.

Abandoning the useless task to fill out these forms, my eyes glanced down the blasting white hallway with deep concern. Room 135... That's the one my sister disappeared into, where felons disguised as angels in white stole her away.

"She's Fine." The sentence repeated over and over in my head like a broken record as my mind tried to accept it. Yet the feeling in my gut kept feeding me the exact opposite.

Car. Forms. Sister - I danced between these subjects for what seemed like hours until I called quits.

Within seconds a handheld silver phone was in my palms my fingers racing over the smooth surface punching in digits. It rung three times before I was directed to the voicemail.

"This is Xander, Att. At Law. I am out for a few moments. Please leave your name and -" Sighing, I hit the cancel key and tried again. I played this game for three more rounds before I heard a real voice on the other line.

"Just tell Ami if she won't allow you to take her by the time I'm finished she's -" His tone was warning and I could tell he was having a stressful day at work. I'd hate to make it worse but….

"Dad. It's not Ami… well it is but.. Just come here." I cursed my lack of ability to form a complete sentence.

A sigh was heard on the other side of the line before he spoke, "I'll be home in five minutes." The chair seemed to squeak in the background- the sound of him getting ready to leave.

"We aren't at **home**." Unconsciously, my hand lifted to run its fingers through my hair.

Xander finally seemed to understand the urgency in what I was saying and the line instantly went dead.

"Are you alright?" A soft voice was instantly in my ear. At any other moment I'd find in alluring but as of now it was just obnoxious.

I glanced up to see some blonde babe standing before me clad in a white tight nurse uniform. My eyes instantly dropped to the pair of twins before me.

'_C's….. nawh. They're definitely B.' _

I released a large intake of air and dragged my blue orbs away from the site to her face. Meatballs. The first word that appeared in my mind when I noticed her hair. Golden blonde locks were pulled up in two awkward buns, the remainder of her hair extended downwards. Spaghetti and meatballs.

"Perfectly Fine." I forced my signature cashmere grin, my eye's danced with hidden flames that needed to be extinguished.

Her face scrunched up and lips formed into a cute pout, "You look kinda… bleh" she enforced her lack of words by playfully sticking out her tongue.

I rolled my eyes, she wasn't exactly the brightest crayon in the box … if you get what I'm saying.

My eye's wandered to the doctor that seemed to be riffling through a bunch of papers. Keyword: Seemed. Every few seconds he would glance in my direction trying to hear our conversation. Did this mysterious doctor have a thing for the air headed nurse? I almost snorted at the idea. His ebony hair covered any trace of jealousy he might portray.

I was awakened from my odd observations when a voice sounded behind me.

"Jadeite, what happened?" It wasn't the voice that I expected to call my name. It wasn't deep and husky like my fathers, and certainly not masculine. It was smooth and sweet as a honey. Of course this voice could belong to no other then my mother.

"I don't know." Almost instantly, the worry that I felt before hit me and my throat seemed to close up, "She fell. And she seemed fine then she started coughing blood… I just don't know."

Her hand was on my shoulder cooing reassuring words into my ear as soon as I was finished telling my tale. With a swift motion of my shoulder, I easily shrugged off her unwanted presence.

"I'm alright. Just confused, and I want to know what the fuck is going on." The blonde nurse seemed to have abandoned my family and I because I couldn't find her anywhere.

"Your father is talking to some doctors now. Why don't you go to the cafeteria to get something to eat. You must be starving. We'll come to get you if there is any news."

My mother never liked arguing, and she would never give you another option. A growl was heard and I placed a hand on my stomach to conceal the noise. Maybe I was a little hungry?

"I have my phone on." I reminded her as I turned to walk away.

* * *

After exiting the doors of the elevator, my eyes bestowed the most dull and boring cafeteria on the face of the earth. Everything was gray. The walls, the tables, chairs, floor… even the hair of the ladies who worked here! This hospital really needed to be introduced to color.

Though the food didn't look half bad. Grabbing one of the trays at the beginning of the line I walked down the row of food looking for anything that would appeal to my appetite. My hands instinctively reached for a the sphere of tinfoil marked 'cheeseburger' Continuing forward, I opened the cooler and pulled out a can of coke.

_If hospitals are supposed to be healthy how come they have all this crap available for you to eat?_

The line must have moved forward without me noticing because a second later an annoyed cough alerted my senses.

"Five Fifty, Honey." the lady told me. Judging my her excessive wrinkles, I would say she was just about ready to croak.

My hands reached into my pocket in search for my wallet… yet they only came in contact with my cell phone. I tried the other pocket, and then another. Finally, I came to the conclusion that I must have left it at home when I was rushing to bring Ami here.

"Uhm. Well, I left my wallet and home cause I was sort of in a rush to come here. And You see, I don't have any money and… " I went off on a continuous rant while Ms. Wrinkles expression didn't seem to falter.

"I said Five Fifty."

_Just. Fucken. Great._

"Here, Miss. Palmer." A voice started from behind me. As a five dollar bill and two quarters were handed to the old lady… I mean Miss Palmer.

I turned around to thank whomever was behind me, but never in my life did I expect to see a fallen angel.

Ebony colored hair flowed like a river down her back, and rare lavender eyes shone with a playful tint as a smirk rose across her lips.

"Awh. What is it? Pretty face yet no brains? Can't afford to buy yourself a meal"

**Too bad she'sa bitch.**


	5. Chapter Four

AN: It s been too long.

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"Look. This normally doesn t happen to me." She stepped in front of me and started walking to a near by table. I had no choice but to follow her.

She laughed as she took a seat. Her lavender eyes urging me to do the same. Pulling out the uncomfortable looking plastic, I sat across from her. Eyeing the burger, I found myself enjoying her laughter.

I'm serious. If it were any other day, I would have been flirting up a storm and have her putty in my hands in no time. Not today, not while Ami was going through this bloody crisis.

Her eyebrows pulled together, "It was just a joke. Relax."

Purple manicured fingers snatched the plastic fork and knife next to her and started to work. The plastic ridges barely doing their job as the meat on the plate before her. Giving up with a frustrated sigh, she stabbed the offending piece and brought it to her mouth. Ensnaring it with her teeth she took a hearty bite. "Yum. Hospital Meat."

The sarcasm was evident.

I arched an eyebrow in her direction. Not only was this girl the conventional airhead, she also wasn t a grass eater. I smiled slightly while taking the tinfoil off of my burger, I like a carnivore. Biting into the burger I frowned, meat eater was correct. This was not a burger but in fact, some salt sprinkled disk of cardboard.

And then I had a brilliant idea.

"Let me make it up to you." I looked up at her and waited until she was finished chewing, "Allow me to take you out to eat."

"You really aren t going to drop this." She sounded slightly annoyed.

I put down my food and looked at her, "Of course I m not. I m a man. If anything, I should be paying for your meal too. It s my job to provide."

"You're job?" Never mind, definitely annoyed. And Let me guess, because you re the man you should also drive, and have a dotting little wife do all the housework.

I could see her chest rising and falling, as her shoulders tensed. Leaning over, I dared to smile, "Exactly."

Her face grew red. Why did I choose to upset this chick I've never met before? Because it was fun, and the babe looked pretty hot upset and all..

"I hate jerks like you."

"Like me?" I gave her a humorless laugh, "You don t even know my name."

She thought for a moment, her arms crossing over her chest, "Let me guess. Something practical and manwhore sounding say Mike? Jerry?" I shook my head.

"David?"

I stood up and moved to throw my food away in the trash, "Try Jadeite."

Just my name itself seemed to change the mood. Her body language seemed less tense and her scowl dropped.

"Oh." She seemed stumped for a moment, but then looked up at me and smiled. All anger evaporated, "Rei."

Rei What a unique name. I examined her a little more closely. Tight fitting jeans hugged the curve of her hips and a black tank covered the top half of her hour glass figure. A leather jacket over her shoulders gave her an edgy look.

The cell phone in my pocket began vibrating, breaking me of my thoughts. I quickly fished for the device in my pocket and brought it out.

Rei had successfully kept my sister out of my mind for the short time we shared together and it was a great stress reliever. Unfortunately, the phone brought back all the strong emotions. I felt a lump form in my throat as I opened the call;

"Jadeite. The doctors know what s wrong with Ami. Hurry up to the room." The line went dead after that. My father always loved keeping things short and sweet.

I glanced back at Rei who was staring at me, I m sorry. You see my sister is in the roo-

She cut me off quickly, "Don t worry about it. I ll catch you around later."

I smiled, "Thanks. It won t take more than 20 minutes."

He said the doctors know what's wrong with her meaning they can fix it and we can leave, right?

She flashed me the sexiest smile and I felt my body grow hot, "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

Damn, I am one lucky dude.

My thoughts were focused all on the new dark haired girl in my life as I made my way through the hospital. Except that all changed once I entered the solemn room the pale faced sixteen year old girl was laying in.


	6. Chapter Five

**AN: **Bitches, I'm back! Jokes aside, I have returned from my two-year hiatus. You can blame senior year of high school and freshman year of college for that. I want to thank all my loyal readers who put up with this insanity and I hope you like the new chapter!

* * *

Meeting Rei had significantly improved my mood from earlier. The blood stains in my car, my sour mood, and the horrible hospital food was long forgotten. Walking down the hallway, all I could think about is telling Ami about the dark haired pixie I encountered in the cafeteria. My sister would shake her head and laugh at my "playboy" ways. Everything would be back to normal. By the time the elevator doors opened to the correct floor, there was a smile on my face.

Although it was a stressful morning, Ami would be all right. She had to be. The doctors would send her straight home with a clean bill of health and I had met an attractive girl in this whole process. Now that's what I called a silver lining!

However, everything changed the moment I stepped into the stark hospital room. A crowd of somber faces greeted me as I walked in, wiping the smile right off my face. My parent's gaze met mine, their expressions looking like they just returned on a trip back from hell. They seemed to age years in a matter of hours. I recognized the doctor in the room as the dark haired man I had noticed earlier. However, his demeanor was drastically different. His blue eyes were distant and hard, and mouth was set into a tight line. The tense stance he stood in revealed one thing: bad news. In an instant, my silver lining had evaporated and was replaced by an even darker rain cloud. I took my place next to Ami's bedside, my eyes never leaving his as he reported the news.

_Today's forecast looks like cloudy with a high chance of disaster. _

Stage IV Glioblastoma. In human terms, Ami has cancer. The nausea, mood changes, and vomiting were all cause by a tumor growing inside her brain.

A tortured moan slipped past my mother's lips shattering the heavy silence that was left after the doctor's diagnosis. Although I wasn't facing them, I knew my father's arm would be secured around my mother's shoulders to give his wife the support that any mother would need upon hearing such news. Shock doesn't even begin to describe what I felt. Words refused to form in my mouth.

"Impossible." My father was the first to discover his voice.

The tone held such a strong clarity and superiority that one would dare to question it. There had to be a mistake. Xander Bryer was a commanding man. He controlled every aspect of his life. Nothing happens without his okay. His brilliant, healthy, daughter could not have a brain tumor.

The doctor seemed hesitant to answer, conscious of the thick tension in the air. This was every parent's worst nightmare. How does one explain to this family that they would have to come to terms with the declining health of their child? Sighing, he brought his glasses down from the bridge of his nose and folded them. He continued to stall by sliding the black item into his coat pocket.

"I'm afraid there is no error. The tumor is very…" he paused to find the correct word, "aggressive."

Another choked sob was heard from my mother. Without realizing it, I had my hands clenched at my sides, knuckles turning white. The words rushed forward and out of my mouth, sharp and filled with panic.

"She fell down the stairs. That's all."

One event couldn't possibly relate to the other? And if it did… was there anyway to prevent it? I should have caught her before she hit the staircase. I could never forgive myself if this was my fault. I had clenched my fist tight enough to draw blood.

My sister must have read the expression on my face because she spoke for the first time, "Jadeite."

I looked at the girl in the bed, who seemed unfazed by the death sentence just delivered to her.

Ami continued speaking in her strong, I'm-smarter-and-know-better voice, "Tumors aren't produced from injury… It's been in my brain for a while. The doctors only discovered it while checking for the damage of the fall. There's nothing anyone could have done. "

If this were any other occasion, her hand would be on her hip in her typical lecturing pose. Instead, a picture of an ugly foreign intruder taking over my little sister's brain appeared. I shuddered in response and tried to shake the idea out of my head.

"Of course, we'll be running more tests." The doctor's voice was professional, but his tone seemed sincere. "I can assure you everything possible will be done to prolong Ami's life."

I took a moment to examine the man that would be held responsible for my sister's mortality. There were no gray hairs growing from his temple, and very few stress lines marred his handsome face. He appeared to be young. Yet, he spoke with a reassuring voice that could only develop through experience. I wanted to believe he had the power could cure her. I had to believe it.

Ami's body seemed even smaller lost inside the folds of the hospital robe. The IV lines leading into her veins made her seem fragile and breakable. Her skin was drained of all color underneath the harsh hospital lights. However, her eyes told a different story. The orbs were ice blue, hard and determined. Unlike the rest of the family, they lacked any trace of tears. She took her diagnosis like she took tests: head on and filled with confidence.

"Dr. Shield," Her voice did not falter as she asked the question that everyone dreaded. "How long do I have left to live?"

The young doctor met her gaze head on, "If you respond well to the medication, a few months at most."

Ami nodded and turned her head away, hiding her reaction from us all. I could hear the intake of breath from both my parents as reality sunk in and the world around them shattered.

If Dr. Shield were correct, I would once again be my parent's only child. The thought alone was enough to take the breath out of my lungs. She needed to go to class on Monday and maintain her perfect attendance, to cook me breakfast on Saturday mornings, to yell at me for being a stupid idiot. In a few months, Ami wouldn't be around to decorate the tree at Christmas, or watch the next ball drop in Times Square on New Years. She would be spending most of her time in the hospital. She wouldn't graduate as Valedictorian of her class. My sister would never be able to fulfill the bright future that she had worked so diligently for. Her brain was her greatest asset, she always said, how could it now be her downfall?

By this time, my mother had broken down and erupted into tears. I had to blink as the burning liquid threatened to pour out of my own eyes. I couldn't cry. I had to be the strong one. There had to be some way to save her. Something I could do. Hell would freeze over before I allow cancer to claim my sister as a victim.

"We'll do anything we can." Xander's thoughts mimicked my own. Bryers never give up without a fight. Ami would overcome this. We would fight the battle with her.

My hand sought hers, squeezing it for reassurance. Although her facial expression seemed composed, her palm was shaking.


End file.
